In 2002, my new husband and I found what we'd searched the country for - an affordable building we could live and work in. We also wanted a reasonable climate close to an international airport. We found Petersburg on the internet and came out to Richmond in 2000 for an SPE conference and fell in love with the area.
We purchased an 1850's cotton warehouse from the city. It has 12,000 sq. ft. of what is now beautiful loft live and work space. Getting to this point has taken eleven years and we still have a few large pieces to complete.
Alain had the vision and the skill to refurbish the entire space - a full floor ofluscious living spaces, he a large shop, me a large mixed media area, a print shop, and a darkroom. We will soon have a garden and a fantastic retail space - restored to its original splendor. We love Petersburg, have a lot of friends and are able to get a great deal of creative work done in this quiet little town. Richmond is close enough to visit easily and often.
Alain did everything on this project (after consulting with engineers and architects, of course). 11,000 sheets of drywall later, he did the demolition, the wiring, plumbing, duct-work, design, building, everything, himself, except - he hired out the hanging of the drywall on the ceilings. He's pretty tired now. I hope he recovers a little.
Live and learn. I can't believe how much I love it here. Paulette Roberts-Pullen wrote eloquently about our space for RHome in 2010, pages 36-39.